Apple kicked off its big iPhone event with a touching tribute to Steve Jobs: 'We can now reflect on him with joy, instead of sadness'

Today doesn’t just mark the unveiling of new iPhones. It’s also the first-ever event held at Steve Jobs Theatre, the public events space at the brand new Apple Park campus — a building project originally spearheaded by Jobs himself.

So it’s fitting that the event kicked off with a monologue from the late Apple cofounder; a speech explaining that making things with “a great deal of care and love” is a contribution to humanity, and the thing that “keeps Apple, Apple.”

Taking the stage at the conclusion of the monologue, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “it was only fitting that Steve should open his theatre.”

“It’s taken some time, but we can now reflect on him with joy, instead of sadness,” Cook said. “Steve’s vision lives on at Apple Park and everywhere at Apple. Today and always, we honour him.”

It’s a fitting tribute, as well: 2017 marks the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone. And the original iPhone unveiling, back in 2007, was arguably Jobs’ single most iconic moment at the company he cofounded. Still, Jobs’ legacy is about more than just the iPhone, Cook said.

“His greatest gift … was not a singular product, but rather Apple itself,” Cook said.